


The Desert Surrounds

by PARNEL



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ancient Egypt, Feudal Japan, M/M, Romance, Samurai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25472104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PARNEL/pseuds/PARNEL
Summary: A young Samurai from Feudal Japan is thrown through time to Ancient Egypt, and finds himself betrothed to an arrogant and powerful Pharaoh.
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi, Ishizu Ishtar/Kaiba Seto, Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi, Priestess Isis/Priest Seto
Comments: 20
Kudos: 69





	1. Mentsu

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on a Chack fic lately but this idea popped into my head so i went and wrote it, I apologize for any mistakes or inaccuracies, I've been doing some research but I may have missed some things.

Fire rose from the dark, crumbling his grandfather’s body to ash. 

Its scorching heat rushed upon Yuugi’s cheeks, burning away the tears that trailed them. His eyes remained glued to the sight of the funeral pyre until the fire grew dim and its embers hardened to a cold black. 

Yuugi carefully gathered up the ashes and bones, placing them inside a small urn. He was the only one left of their family that could perform his grandfather's funeral, and all his grandfather’s friends and fellow Samurai were either dead or too old to attend the ceremony. Yuugi was still proud, despite only himself being present for the cremation and burial. His grandfather had died with his honor, peacefully, undefeated by any other except the natural death that’d snatched him suddenly while he slept. 

Late into the night, when the young Samurai-in-training returned to his empty home after burying the ashes, he let himself discard his carefully constructed mask of strength. 

The seventeen-year-old sobbed into the sleeve of his black kamishimo; the sounds of his despair echoed emptily around the small house. He’d lost the last person he was close to, and now Yuugi was truly alone. After his parents had passed away when he was only five years old, Yuugi’s grandfather had taken him in, and trained him in the way of their family; the way of the Samurai. Their domain of Samurai served under the local _daimyo_ named Kaiba Gozaburo. He began attending the school Kaiba had established for his Samurai at a young age, he learned fighting styles and the how to wield a sword, as well as horseback riding, archery, tactics and strategy. Kaiba’s school put emphasis on training warriors and didn’t teach many other things like calligraphy or more intellectual subjects. 

Unfortunately, Yuugi found that he wasn’t a very good warrior. He was ridiculed by his classmates. Yuugi was too short, too soft, too kindhearted and weak tongued to truly live up to the ideals of what a Samurai was supposed to be. None of his classmates took him seriously, and he often found himself alone even when surrounded by others. 

Mutou Sugoroku never saw any weakness in Yuugi, he’d taken him in and taught him to use what others perceived as weakness to his advantage. Being short and unassuming himself, his grandfather taught him that because he was nimble and small, he was able to strike quickly and fight creatively. He was the one person Yuugi had in this world who’d loved and supported him unconditionally, and now he was _gone_. 

Yuugi sniffled and pushed up from the floor, making his way to a low table with a large wrapped bundle his grandfather had left ominously a few nights ago. He lit a small candle and settled on a flat floor mat, his slender hands shook as he unwrapped the dark cloth. 

A loud gasp escaped him; the cloth dropped to the floor in his shock. 

_Armor._ A complete, actual set of Samurai armor sat on the table along with a wakizashi, a small golden box, and some papers. Yuugi almost broke out into tears again, the set on the table wasn’t his grandfathers’. Sugoroku had commissioned the armorer to create a complete set just for Yuugi, a gift, as well as physical proof that he’d passed into adulthood. His fingers trembled as he traced the curves of the dark black and purple armor. His grandfather had spared no expense, the pieces shined a glossy obsidian in the lamplight, beautifully crafted and sturdily built. 

Standing abruptly, Yuugi quickly began strapping on the armor over his kamishimo, uncaring if he looked ridiculous in his house wearing full armor. He wanted to feel close to his grandfather and comforted by the heavy weight of the armor on his shoulders. He even put his helmet on, it fit snugly over his top knot. His wild and strangely colored bangs hung out from underneath it, splaying out over his forehead. 

He sat for a moment, staring blankly at the opposite wall with tear-worn eyes. 

Then his gaze landed on the rest of his grandfather’s gifts. Yuugi picked up the paper and took in his grandfather's sprawling script. It was his _jisei;_ his death poem. 

‘ _A new wind blows in_ _,_

_Move forward, and trust_ _wholly_

_the_ _heart of your cards_ _.’_

_-_ _Mutou_ _Sugoroku_

Tears pricked at Yuugi’s eyes as he read and found a small bundle of carefully crafted woodblock printed cards with the paper. 

‘ _Just like grandpa, to talk about cards in his final words.’_ Yuugi thought fondly, sadness plucking at his heart. His grandfather –during his spare time- was an avid gambler and game player. He had collected all kinds of puzzles and games over the years, partly for his own entertainment and partly to encourage Yuugi’s natural affinity for solving puzzles. It was something they had in common, aside from their short statures. They both had enjoyed playing against each other with a strange new card game Sugoroku had bought from a foreigner at the market. The cards were inscribed with monsters which they could “fight” against one another with, it had quickly become their most treasured game to play together. 

At the bottom of the page a small note was written. 

‘ _Dearest_ _Yu_ _u_ _gi_ _,_

_Enclosed in this bundle I have included a strange puzzle I found at the portside_ _markets;_ _I hav_ _e been waiting to gi_ _ve_ _it to you for some time. It’s a gift to you, to give you comfort as you start your li_ _f_ _e anew_ _as an adult_ _Samurai_ _. Know that I am always with you, and have always believed in you, Yu_ _u_ _gi. You will do great things one day._

_Love,_

_Grandpa’_

Yuugi sobbed this time, and reached out blearily towards the golden box after he tucked the papers and the cards into his armor. 

His hand curiously fluttered over the box, tracing strange glyphs that looked like tiny birds and animals. Opening the box revealed small scattered golden pieces. 

He tilted the box and allowed the pieces to fall into his lap. 

_‘Strange’_ Yuugi thought as he observed them. 

Pale fingers met gold and warmth blossomed through him at the touch. It felt strangely... familiar? His hands moved on their own, like muscle memory, the same way he felt when he did his _Katas_ every day. Tug and push, twist and press, the pieces filled his hands and twined together almost too easily. That is, until they suddenly didn’t want to go together anymore. Yuugi furrowed his brow, he’d only gotten five pieces to interlock and form what might be some three-dimensional shape, but there were still almost thirty more pieces that suddenly wouldn’t go together, no matter how hard he tried to find where they interlocked. 

Hours passed through the night until Yuugi felt himself grow irritated, he stashed most of the pieces inside his armor, and stared at the completed parts of the puzzle in frustration. 

_‘Is it getting brighter, or am I crazy?’_ Yuugi thought in confusion, he blinked his tired eyes as the puzzle in his hands seemed to shine. 

It _was_ getting brighter! Yuugi dropped it onto the table in shock, reaching for his katana as it’s light increased, becoming increasingly hard to look at. He frantically raised his sword, ready to destroy the puzzle when suddenly the light flashed overwhelmingly and Yuugi felt as though he’d been dropped into a hole. 

When the light receded, all that was left was an empty room and a smoking candle, the flame blown out. 

_____________________ 

Sand swarmed, thrashing violently in the wind. 

Yuugi felt himself dropped roughly into it, and the tiny grains of sand immediately found their way into every crevasse and nook of his armor and clothing. 

Groaning in confusion, he drew himself up to survey his surroundings. 

‘ _What kind of magic has done this to me?’_ Yuugi thought in despair, he saw nothing but sand and heat in every direction. _‘Where am I?’_

He’d never seen anything like this before. There was a desert in Japan he’d heard of, the Tottori Desert. People said it held large dunes of sand and lied right beside the sea. 

There were dunes in front of Yuugi, but no sea to be seen in any direction. Only imposing, dry heaps of sand that twisted like snakes in the wind. The golden hills rolled onwards forever, and Yuugi felt panic grip him before he settled back into his Samurai training. 

He could take anything that was thrown at him. The sun on his black armor and the burning sand beneath his feet would not faze him. He would survive, for his grandfather, and for his _daimyo_ , he had to find his way out of this place. 

Standing shakily on the shifting sand, Yuugi noticed his hands were clutching two things: his katana, and the puzzle pieces. He gazed at the puzzle for a moment, observing its now normally shiny appearance, before deciding to tie the solved portion to the tassels on his chest piece. Checking all that he had on his body, Yuugi found that all he had were his _daisho_ –his katana and wakizashi- the cards and paper from his grandfather, the puzzle pieces, and his kamishimo outfit which was uncomfortably stuffed underneath his new armor. 

No food, no water. Nothing that would help him survive, other than his sturdy armor and his daisho. It was so _hot_ , Yuugi could feel the sun heating up his armor, threatening to boil him alive. 

Unknowing of which direction to head to find civilization, he decided to head east, away from the sun. 

Days passed, and Yuugi walked for what felt like eternity. Sand and fire were all he knew during the day, searing him mercilessly and slowing his steps to an agonizing stumble. During the night a piercing cold kept him awake, stabbing his sore limbs and roughened feet. His wooden sandals were surviving the sand, but the wind chafed at his exposed ankles and feet causing them to dry and crack. 

No thoughts entered his mind, truly, he was lost in a daze of primitive survival instinct, intense hunger, and thirst. The sun rose and Yuugi walked, the moon rose and Yuugi walked, not stopping for anything but to rest for short periods of time. 

He was lucky he was so small and slight of frame, though he’d been teased for his lack of bulk and height by his fellow Samurai. If he were any bigger, he would have collapsed long ago from carrying his own weight. Yuugi was small and light, the only thing that weighed him down was his armor, but he would not remove or discard his armor for anything. No torture on this earth would make Yuugi separate from one of the few gifts his grandfather had left him. The armor was a part of his identity. As was it his goal to return to, once he escaped this place. 

Delirious, he had no clue as to how long he’d wandered, heading endlessly eastward. Until his violet eyes, which were dazedly fixed on the ground as he walked, spotted a _plant._

Yuugi stopped in his tracks. 

A small, dark green shrub stuck tauntingly out of the sand. 

He blinked disbelievingly, he’d seen wavering illusions of trees and great pools of water in the distance that cruelly vanished whenever he neared them. He hadn’t seen an actual _plant._ Looking upward, he froze in shock. A real pool of water lay before him, shrouded in tall strange looking trees, with leaves that fanned out at the top. 

His body began working harder than ever before, pushing through the pain and burning he felt to stumble to the pond. 

Blissfully, the water rushed up around his face as he dunked headfirst into it. Desperate as a starved dog, he swallowed great gulps of water until he was left gasping and coughing from it. It spread soothingly across his chapped lips, cooling his sweat crusted forehead and neck. 

Yuugi felt himself relax unwillingly, his strength finally slipping. He’d no water in his body to cry, but if he did then they would be streaking across his cheeks in relief and despair. With his vision growing rapidly darker, he flopped himself over onto his back, and sank into sleep. 

The last thing he was aware of was distant footsteps and shouting, their words spoken in a strange and unfamiliar tongue. 

_____________________ 

Pharaoh Atem, the great ruler of Egypt and living God on earth, sat on his throne and felt _irritated._

He’d been scolded by his priests and Shimon about challenging his potential suitors to shadow games, but how else was he supposed to test their intelligence and character? 

The sixteen-year-old slumped in his throne, ignoring the reproachful look Priest Seto sent him. He was Pharaoh,he could do as he wished. He was tired of all these suitors being thrown at him, what was the point of it? If he died, either Seto or his other cousin, Mokuba, could take the throne. There was no need for an Heir, and so there was no need for him to be married one day. Besides, none of the people deemed suitable for him were truly good, their hearts were pungent and soiled black with their greed and vanity. Atem wanted nothing to do with them. 

He was _better_ than them, he was Pharaoh, he did not need to be forced into a union with one of these vacant-eyed nobles. 

The royal advisor chattered on inanely, and brought out several more potential women, along with a few men. The noise in the room became louder as the priests, advisors, and the occasional noble argued amongst themselves. Atem felt his irritation simmer into anger, and then boil over with furiosity. Did he have no _choice_? In this matter he was powerless, and that was unacceptable. 

“Enough!” Atem commanded, surging up from his throne. The people in the lavishly decorated throne room cowered under his angered red gaze. 

In his fit of immense rage, the Pharaoh ripped his Millennium Pendant from his neck and brandished it out at the others. 

“I will not marry anyone that is brought before me! They are weak, unworthy!” Atem bellowed and shook his pendant. 

“Here, I vow! Whosoever restores my Pendant, within which lies my soul, shall be one who is pure of heart and strong of mind, worthy of being betrothed to me. I shall wait a thousand years if I must, but I will never marry any who does not pass this test!” and with that curse, he swung his hand down and smashed the Pendant against the ground. It shattered into tiny pieces and scattered at the feet of his horrified priests. 

Every other millennium item in Egypt shattered simultaneously, and the Pharaoh collapsed. 

_____________________ 

When he awoke later, surrounded by healers and priests, they were horrified to learn that the boy they’d once taken care of was now drastically changed. His eyes no longer gleamed with challenge and mischief, all that remained of him was a cruel and shallow shell that moved like a puppet on a string. 

The priests searched the throne room for the pieces of the Pendant, but before they could collect them, the pieces vanished from their fingers, and were lost to time and space. With its mysterious disappearance they lost their only way of restoring the Pharaoh’s soul, and without their Millennium items the Kingdom fell into disarray. 

Pharaoh Atem continued to grow in maliciousness and cruelty as five years passed, his soulless body possessed no sympathy for his struggling subjects. He became a recluse, living like a shadow in his palace while the Priest Seto attempted to rule the two lands of Egypt. 

All the while, a great and mysterious evil gathered in the West, encroaching upon the weakened borders of Egypt. 

Sensing this evil, Priest Seto revived the efforts the find the Millennium Pendant pieces in the hopes that the envoys he sent out would return with it, and they could restore the Pharaohs soul as well as the other shattered items. 

As another year passed in vain, Seto’s doubts in the fruitfulness of his efforts grew. 

That is, until one day. When a report came in saying that the Pendant had been found tied to a strange pale warrior in black armor. 

The Pharaoh came stumbling to Seto mere moments after Seto had read the report, his red eyes cleared from their hateful daze for the first time in six years. 


	2. Curiosity/ The Ring

Yuugi awoke to the feeling of rough hands pawing at his armor and body. 

In less than a second, he was on his feet. His katana unsheathed and lashing out like a cat's claw. Three fingers from the hand of the man who was touching him fell with little thumps onto the ground, cleanly sliced off at the knuckle, the man screamed in horror and fell backward. 

Normally, Yuugi would’ve felt upset about lashing out, but right now he was hungry, exhausted, disoriented, and crusted in sweat. That man should not have been _touching_ him anyway. 

He snarled, his soft round face drawing into an expression of defensive anger. 

Now that the man had backed away, he was able to take in his surroundings. He was in some kind of... small shack? Or stone building, it was obviously used as a barn or storage area. There were also several men inside the shack with him. 

Yuugi had never seen such strangely dressed people before. The man who’s fingers he had severed was crouched on the floor sobbing; he was dressed in a simple white cloth skirt. Besides the man was what looked like some kind of warrior? Or guard, Yuugi could not be certain. He wore the same white cloth skirt except he had golden adornments on and held a long spear in one hand as the other hand attempted to help the bleeding man. There were several more warrior-guards, but they lingered back by the door uncertainly, eyeing his glinting katana with obvious fear. 

_‘As they should_ _.'_ Yuugi thought. 

A sudden commotion from outside sent the men by the door scrambling aside, allowing a _very_ tall dark-skinned man to enter. The new man was obviously wealthy. His body was draped in gold jewelry and fine blue and white cloth, and on his head, he wore a strange blue hat. He waved his hands around threateningly. 

Yuugi could not understand a single word the new man spoke, he watched curiously as the man barked orders at the warrior-guards. They fled quickly, carrying away the bleeding man and leaving only Yuugi and the new man. 

The new man looked down at Yuugi in a way that instantly made him bristle, his cold blue eyes observed Yuugi with the same air of superiority that his former classmates had. 

Baring his teeth, Yuugi crouched into an offensive position, his katana raised threateningly. 

Cold eyes continued to appraise him with contempt, eyeing the severed fingers on the floor and his sweaty body with disgust. When his eyes alighted upon Yuugi’s chest his expression morphed into one of intense shock and longing. Confused, Yuugi looked down and caught sight of the strange partly completed puzzle dangling from the tassels of his chest piece. 

The man raised his hand with his palm facing out, unthreatening. 

_“_ _Twt_ _m?_ _P_ _tr rn.k?”_ The man spoke slowly, watching Yuugi’s face. 

Yuugi furrowed his brows in confusion. The man repeated himself. 

_“_ _Anata_ _no i_ _u_ _koto_ _ga_ _wakarimasen_ _?”_ _(I_ _don't_ _know what you are saying_ _?_ _)_ Yuugi responded, his brows furrowing in frustration. A wave of exhaustion rushed over him and he felt a headache coming on . He didn’t know where he was or why these people couldn’t speak Japanese, he just wanted some water and to clean himself and then find his way _home_. 

The man's eyes widened as he listened to Yuugi’s voice, he seemed to realize Yuugi was not able to speak their language. 

The tall man huffed irritably and muttered something before hunching over to be more level with Yuugi and pointing a finger at himself. 

“Seto.” The man gritted out, he repeated it a few times, gesturing to himself. 

“Seto?” Yuugi repeated unsurely, the foreign name stumbling over his tongue. The man nodded and forced a smile as if tell Yuugi ‘ _Yes, that’s my name, Idiot._ _’_

“Yuugi.” He told the man after a few moments of suspicious silence. Seto looked unimpressed. 

“Yuugi.” He repeated flatly, raising an eyebrow. Yuugi’s face became hot and he snarled angrily, his headache worsened from the sudden increase of blood. 

_“_ _Iw_ _.”_ Seto spoke suddenly as he straightened back to his full height, motioning with his hands to the door. When Yuugi only continued to stare at him suspiciously, Seto went to the exit, lifting the cloth that hung over the doorway. 

“ _Iw.”_ He repeated in a stern voice, making a sweeping motion towards the exit with his hands. 

_“_ _Īe_ _,_ _watashi_ _wa_ _anata_ _o_ _shin'yō_ _shite_ _imasen_ _!” (No, I don’t trust you!)_ Yuugi protested, eyeing the door warily. He had no clue what these people wanted of him, and especially didn’t know why this strange rich man wanted him to leave with him. 

Seto merely rolled his eyes at Yuugi, before swiftly exiting the shack. 

Alone in the shack, Yuugi allowed himself to sway weakly. Weariness wracked through his bones; he could have collapsed right then but his curiosity kept him standing. The shack stunk, reeking from heated animal feces and the now rotting stench of severed fingers. Left with no other option to consider he patted down his armor, making sure he had everything he’d set out on his journey with, and stumbled to the door. 

His fingers gripped his katana almost violently, knuckles turning bone-white, his sweaty skin slipping on the cloth-wrapped hilt. 

Sunlight, bright and cruel, blinded him as he pushed aside the tarp that covered the entrance. A large white horse pulling a cart full of dirt and several barely dressed warrior-guards stood outside, their backs framed by the never-ending desert that had tortured him so completely. His violet eyes widened, fixed on the sight of the sea of gold. 

_“_ _Em_ _sendj_ _,_ _sōdjem_ _en.i_ _.”_ Seto’s commanding voice cut through his fear, forcing his eyes towards the horse and cart. 

_“_ _Iw_ _.”_ He repeated, gesturing at the cart. Yuugi scowled, his blonde bangs plastered to his sweaty forehead from the heat. 

_“_ _Kusoyarô_ _!”_ _(Asshole!)_ Yuugi spat angrily, he was not in the mood to be treated like livestock by someone so arrogant. Seto shifted aggressively on top of his beautiful white horse, sensing Yuugi’s insulting tone, 

_“_ _Em_ _ȧr_ _ukha_ _!”_ Seto hissed, losing his patience. He let out another more incomprehensible string of words. Yuugi was too exhausted to react before the hilt of a spear collided with his helmet, sending him to the ground. He felt himself be carried and dumped into the cart before succumbing to his exhaustion. 

_____________________ 

_“Hy en._ _ek_ _, Pharaoh!_ _Ii.kw!”_

The harsh cry of a foreign tongue ripped Yuugi from his painful sleep. Large, rough hands dug into his armpits, dragging him along gleaming limestone tiles. His eyes struggled to open, swollen from the heat, he saw only vague shapes of a crowd of dark-skinned people and sand colored columns before his vision cleared. 

Even in his delirious state Yuugi managed to feel flustered at the sight of the crowd of scarcely clothed people. Women and men were mainly topless, covered only in sheer white cloth skirts and bits of gold jewelry. Dazedly, Yuugi supposed their clothes made sense, he was boiling in his armor. What he wouldn’t give to wash himself and wear only thin clothes right now. The people in the crowd watched him with expressions of curiosity –for his appearance- and disgust –for his smell- as he was carried past them. His feet dragged on the ground and he could only watch passively, like a spirit outside his own body, as he was brought to the base of a large throne. 

Awed and confused, Yuugi looked up at the man seated on the throne. 

He had the same hair as Yuugi! Perhaps this was some strange dream? But no, he could have never dreamed up the appearance of the man before him. Their similarities began and ended with their hair. The man seated upon the throne was older than Yuugi by perhaps a few years, but not too many. 

His skin was dark like ink, painting the form of his broad, muscular body. And though the contrast of his bright jewelry against his dark skin could be described by comparison to the stars in the night sky, Yuugi felt that the man did not match the theme. He was nothing like the night sky; He was more like a living ray of sunlight. Like fire in the form of a man; a golden desert storm trapped inside skin and sinew. 

Only- the man’s eyes betrayed his true nature; blood red in color and thoughtlessly flat; dry with cruelty. 

This man seemed as though he had no _soul._ No light inside him. His crimson eyes looked down on Yuugi with only the barest sliver of interest. Yuugi felt a shiver of fear travel down his spine. In front of him, Seto appeared disappointed by something he’d seen inside the man on the throne. He looked as though he’d seen a candle lit, only to watch a wind come blow it out not moments later. 

_“_ _Iiw_ _n_ _sesau_ _,_ _Seto_ _.”_ The man upon the throne rumbled, he let out a couple more strange words and gestured to Yuugi. 

One of the warrior-guards holding Yuugi up reached a meaty hand towards his helmet and Yuugi thrashed in defiance. 

_“_ _Yameru_ _!_ _Yameru_ _!_ _Anata_ _wa_ _watashi_ _no_ _yoroi_ _o_ _toranai_ _!”_ _(Stop! Stop!_ _You will not take my armor!)_ Yuugi shrieked, kicking the guard and attempting to reach for his katana. He was too slow, weakened by hunger and thirst. The man atop the throne let out a short order, and the two warrior-guards backed away, leaving Yuugi to stand alone in the center of the large golden room. 

Seto glared sternly at him and made a gesture that implied he should remove his helmet. With dignity, Yuugi reached up and slowly peeled his helmet from his head, breathing a sigh of relief as his ears and neck were exposed to the air. 

A collective gasp tore through the room of people at the sight of his hair. Despite most of his hair being tied up into a top knot, his wild bangs along with the colors of his hair were clearly visible. Even the man upon the throne leaned forward, his eyes wide and intrigued as he stared at Yuugi. 

Another gasp -this time followed by loud arguing- rippled around the room as the half-completed puzzle tied to his chest began to glow. He didn’t know why, but he had the urge to give –to _return_ \- it to the man on the throne. 

Untying the puzzle, Yuugi held it out in front of him, an offering. 

He could have sworn that the puzzle moved in his hands, as though a hummingbird beat softly inside it. With his red eyes locked possessively on the puzzle, the man stood and stepped forward. Yuugi’s vision began to swim as the man drew closer. ‘ _I am so tired...’_ He thought, swaying on his feet. 

_“_ _Anata_ _no_ _monodesu_ _?” (Is it yours?)_ Yuugi managed to mumble through his swollen lips. 

Large hands cupped around Yuugi’s hands and the puzzle, pressing Yuugi’s fingers to the smooth gold. He looked up into the man’s face, illuminated by the light from the puzzle he looked like no other person Yuugi had ever seen. 

“ _Henek_ _?”_ The man murmured, a pleased, almost teasing grin crossing his lips. He brought one dark hand up and caressed Yuugi’s pale cheek. 

Yuugi’s eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed into the man’s arms. 

_____________________ 

Atem looked down at the foreigner in his arms. 

He felt... strange. Awakened, in a way. As though he’d spent his life deaf, only to one day be miraculously blessed with hearing, and now he was overwhelmed by the sound of the world around him. 

The stranger in his arms was... curious. 

This was the one he was now fated to marry? A little warrior? 

Atem was not a tall man at all, but this little warrior was slightly smaller than him. He had a soft round face and shockingly light skin, Atem was fascinated with the shape of his eyes, like thin almonds. And his hair was so similar to Atem’s... perhaps it was a sign from the gods that this man was meant for him? 

Humming thoughtfully, Atem felt something other than rage or apathy for the first time in six years. He felt _curiosity_ _._

Despite his new betrothed’s sweet appearance, Atem knew he was not so docile. Seto had explained how the first thing the warrior had done upon waking was sever the fingers from a man who’d been trying to touch his armor. 

_‘Interesting...’_ He would have to wait until the warrior awoke to get a better understanding of his character. 

“Mahad! Take him to Shimon and have his wounds attended to.” Atem ordered, allowing Mahad to come forward and gather up the warrior. He left the puzzle with his betrothed, as the man would need to complete the puzzle in order to seal their engagement. Atem wanted to see if he was capable of finishing it. 

“And... wash him.” He added, crinkling up his nose as the stench of the man who’d been lost in the desert for days reached his nose. 

“Yes, my Pharaoh.” Mahad replied. 

“Wait.” Seto ordered, and everyone in the room turned to him. The tall priest pointed towards Mahad’s neck, and the room froze in shock. 

The broken pieces of the Millennium Ring that Mahad wore faithfully every day had miraculously recombined, leaving the ring whole and gleaming. Mahad’s eyes were large and awed. 

“It must be some side effect of the puzzle’s partially formed state, perhaps when it is completed the other items will be restored?” Seto’s wife, the priestess Isis, offered. 

The room broke out into arguing, and Atem waved his hand disinterestedly, signaling for Mahad to leave. 

Turning to his court, Atem ordered the people gathered into silence and they continued with what they’d been doing before Seto’s interruption. 

Atem returned to his throne, gazing impassively as the court held a trial. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for any mistakes with the Japanese, I don't really know much of it :((
> 
> The Egyptian language I used is a weird mixture of Coptic, Transliteration of Hieroglyphs, and Phonetic spelling in MDC notation. I think the dub places Atem's birth sometime in 3000 BC, so I was curious and went crazy looking at webpages abt Archaic and Middle Egyptian. What I wrote for their dialogue probably makes absolutely no sense but I wanted to have Yuugi hear something instead of just writing "Seto made some weird noises that Yuugi couldn't understand etc. etc." lol
> 
> Here are some translations of the words I used:  
> Twt m? Ptr rn.k? = Who are you? What is your name?  
> Iw = Come (come here) (there are different meanings for Iw but one of them is come)  
> Em sendj, sōdjem en.i. = Do not worry. Listen to me.  
> Em ȧr ukha = Don't be stupid ( I think this one is more Coptic but I could be wrong?)  
> Hy en.ek, Pharaoh! Ii.kw = Hail to thee, Pharaoh, I have come  
> Iiw n sesau = Welcome in satisfaction  
> Henek = An offering (or gift) 
> 
> These are some websites I used for the Egyptian, they're pretty neat! 
> 
> https://archive.org/stream/DictionaryOfMiddleEgyptian#page/n3/mode/2up/search/offering
> 
> https://www.bibalex.org/learnhieroglyphs/Lesson/LessonDetails_En.aspx?l=117
> 
> https://seshkemet.weebly.com/egyptian-sayings.html
> 
> https://omniglot.com/writing/egyptian.htm#dec
> 
> Also, Yuugi might be kind of out of character in this chapter, but I kind of figure wandering around a desert for days would make anyone really irritated. Next chapter y'all gonna get some hot scenes and Yuugi will finally get his bath lmao


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